Sydney Living Museums cares for a group of 12 of the most important historic houses, gardens and museums in NSW on behalf of the people of NSW. Our purpose is to enrich and revitalise people’s lives with Sydney’s living history, and to hand the precious places in our care and their collections on to future generations to enjoy.
We bring our museums to life through a dynamic and diverse program of exhibitions, research and events such as walks, talks and tours so that our visitors can experience Sydney’s past as if they had lived it themselves.
We were established in 1980 as the Historic Houses Trust of NSW to manage, maintain and interpret buildings and places of historic importance for the education and enjoyment of the public. In 2013 we launched our new identity as Sydney Living Museums to refresh and unify our diverse range of properties and highlight our role and relevance for current and future generations.
Sydney Living Museums is a State Cultural Institution, along with the Art Gallery of NSW, State Library of NSW, Sydney Opera House, the Australian Museum and the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences. The State Cultural Institutions report to the Minister for the Arts, and form part of the Arts Screen and Culture Division of the NSW Department of Premier & Cabinet.